Category Archives: Foreign Languages

Avril Lavigne goes multilingual

Posted on March 7, 2007 by Kevin

If you’ve been asking “When can I hear pop singer Avril Lavigne sing part of a song in my language?” and if your language is Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, or German (Hindi didn’t work out), ask no more. … Continue reading →

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2007 International Mother Language Day

Posted on February 22, 2007 by Kevin

Happy UNESCO International Mother Language Day / La journée internationale de la langue maternelle. Here’s what UNESCO says (portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=12871&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html) [EDIT (6/4/10): dead link]: International Mother Language Day (21 February 2007) The theme of International Mother Language Day in 2007 is … Continue reading →

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Happy Boar Year 2007!

Posted on February 19, 2007 by Kevin

Happy New Year! Today, February 18, 2007, is Chinese New Year. Chinese New Year: Traditional , simplified characters: 農曆新年 , 农历新年 Mandarin: Nong2li4 Xin1nian2 Cantonese: Nung4lik6 San1nin4 English: Chinese New Year (somewhat literally: “Lunar Calendar New Year,” literally: “Agricultural Calendar … Continue reading →

Posted in Foreign Languages, LANGUAGE, Language-Sites, Words / Dictionaries | 1 Comment

I’m learning (a language) on a jet plane…

Posted on February 8, 2007 by Kevin

Air France and Berlitz World Traveller have teamed up to offer foreign language instruction in 23 languages. The system includes a teacher, pronunciation exercises, tests and games. At the end of each lesson, students will receive a grade. “Seven other … Continue reading →

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U.S. reality comedy ‘Thank God You’re Here’

Posted on January 23, 2007 by Kevin

Imagine a celebrity reality-show where the celebrities aren’t being annoying while stranded in the jungle or locked up in a house together. Imagine instead celebrities who have acting talent, like Bryan Cranston (Malcolm in the Middle), Jennifer Coolidge (A Mighty … Continue reading →

Posted in Comedy / Humor Media, Foreign Languages, HUMOR, LANGUAGE | 1 Comment

Studying Mandarin via online game

Posted on January 22, 2007 by Kevin

American middle school and high school students who want to study Mandarin Chinese can look to the Internet for a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) (article (registration required). Zon – The New Chengo Chinese is an expansion of … Continue reading →

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New sci-fi language in Cameron’s ‘Avatar’

Posted on January 15, 2007 by Kevin

Director James Cameron is working on a 3-D science fiction film called Avatar (2009, IMDb entry) set on a distant planet with aliens. They, naturally, have their own alien language. Here’s the language part of the interview with Cameron: There’s … Continue reading →

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MS Office embraces Australianisms

Posted on November 18, 2006 by Kevin

If you’re Australian and using MS Word or other MS Office products, you’ll soon get fewer words marked as spelling errors. After a recent online word-survey with over 24,000 voters, Microsoft Office 2007 will include more Australianisms like sickie and … Continue reading →

Posted in Dialects, Foreign Languages, LANGUAGE, Language Technology, Language-Sites, Words / Dictionaries | 1 Comment

‘The Queen’s Hinglish’ (Hindi English) book

Posted on November 9, 2006 by Kevin

There’s a new book out about the mixed English and Hindi (and other Indian languages) spoken by Indians in India and England. The book is The Queen’s Hinglish by B. K. Mahal (ISBN 0007241127). It’s mini-quiz time. Match the Hinglish … Continue reading →

Posted in Dialects, English as a Second / Foreign Language, Foreign Languages, LANGUAGE, Language Media, Newer Englishes, Words / Dictionaries | Comments Off

The Four Essential Travel Phrases

Posted on October 20, 2006 by Kevin

The Four Essential Travel Phrases Web site is an amusing site that translates the following questions into hundreds of languages and dialects. 1) Where is my room? 2) Where is the beach? 3) Where is the bar? 4) Don’t touch … Continue reading →

Posted in Dialects, Foreign Languages, HUMOR, Humor-Sites, LANGUAGE, Language Error, Language-Sites | Comments Off